ALPHARETTA, Ga. – Milton Avenue is one of the best sites in Alpharetta to hold street parties. Situated right across the street from City Hall and square in the center of the city’s historic business district, it is prime real estate as well. However, Fulton County is preparing to perform a water main upgrade in Alpharetta that will entail tearing up much of the street.

While this may be good news for the city in the long run, as Alpharetta hopes to tag along with the project to improve the road, during construction, it will prove a headache to commuters and local businesses.

The water main replacement would begin on the south side of Academy Street at Haynes Bridge Road and go west toward Ga. 9. Crossing the street, it will continue on the south side of Milton Avenue until it hits Canton Street and move north until it hits Old Canton Street, where it will cross Canton Street and, eventually, meet Mayfield Road before heading to Providence Road, where it will terminate.

In planning the project, Fulton County is seeking city input on how best to proceed.

“They want to work with us, not against us,” said Alpharetta Public Works Director Pete Sewczwicz.

Sewczwicz stressed plans were very much in the early phases and nothing would be started anytime soon.

The Academy Street phase would likely be worked on in conjunction with the new City Center project, which will continue until late next year. The Milton Avenue improvements would likely take place after the City Center is complete.

Sewczwicz said he hopes to take advantage of the county’s digging up Milton Avenue to redo the street. Ideally, he said, the median would be removed, the sidewalks expanded, bike lanes added and the angled parking replaced with parallel parking. Utilities could be placed underground.

However, during the construction, those property owners along Milton Avenue would likely see their business disrupted.

Mayor David Belle Isle said the city and county would try to work as much at night to minimize disruptions.

“Night time is the way to go,” he said. “It’s more efficient for [construction] and it helps the businesses.”